Posts Tagged ‘Visiting Winston-Salem NC’

The Arts Council of York County is hosting a bus trip from the Center for the Arts, 121 E. Main St., Rock Hill, SC, to the Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, NC, to see the exhibit, “Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern”, on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017. The bus will depart from the Center for the Arts at 9am, and will return at 5pm.

From the Reynolda House Museum of American Art: “The Reynolda House Museum of American Art marks its centennial as an estate and its fiftieth anniversary as a museum with an exhibition of the work of Georgia O’Keeffe. “Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern” explores how the artist’s modern sensibility saturated her art, her life, her homes, and her carefully fashioned public (and private) personas. In addition to a number of carefully chosen paintings by O’Keeffe, and photographs of her homes, the exhibition features selected items from her personal wardrobe that highlight her preferences for compact masses, organic silhouettes, and minimal ornamentation. The Reynolda House is one of only three venues to host the exhibition, and the only venue south of New York.”

Tickets are $75 for members of the Arts Council, and $85 for the general public. They include transportation, and admission to the museum and the O’Keeffe exhibit. Tickets for the trip must be purchased in advance by 5pm on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 – online at (www.yorkcountyarts.org), by phone at 803/328-2787, and in person at the Center for the Arts, 121 E. Main St., Rock Hill, SC. There will be time to shop and eat in Reynolda Village prior to the museum visit.

The Arts Council is headquartered in downtown Rock Hill, a state-recognized cultural district. For more information on Arts Council events, contact the Arts Council of York County at 803/328-2787, by e-mail at (arts@yorkcountyarts.org), or visit our webpage at (www.yorkcountyarts.org).

The sleek new AFAS Center for the Arts, located at the corner of Liberty and Seventh streets in Winston-Salem, NC, opened to the public on Saturday, May 6, 2017. The local nonprofit organization Art for Art’s Sake (AFAS) commissioned the 14,500 square foot, three-story building, which was constructed over a period of 15 months.

The Center’s official opening will be celebrated with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2pm, on May 6, accompanied by live music, food trucks, ARTivity on the Green mural wall painting and family activities.

This latest addition to the city’s burgeoning Arts District consolidates several AFAS activities and locations that were previously scattered throughout downtown. The building houses AFAS’ headquarters, as well as Red Dog Gallery, Unleashed Arts Center and Studio 2, a jewelry studio. There are also 10 artist studios available for lease at affordable rates.

The Center’s location – adjacent to ARTivity on the Green art park – extends the Arts District’s footprint into a previously underdeveloped area of the city.

Harry Knabb, AFAS chairman and chief executive, said the new headquarters underscores AFAS’ continued commitment to the Arts District and the city’s arts community overall, while also ensuring the viability of AFAS for generations to come.

ARTivity on the Green and the AFAS Center for the Arts have both been made possible via generous grants – primarily one from the Thomas J. Regan Jr. Foundation – and both projects have enlisted the professional skills of several local businesses; STITCH Design Shop and Frank L. Blum Construction Co. served as the architect and general contractor for both projects, respectively.

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem, NC, launches SECCA CONNECTors, an organization that supports the contemporary art center in daily functions, exhibitions, and special projects.

Spearheaded by Nancy Peterson and Bonnie Poindexter, two active women in Winston-Salem’s arts community, the SECCA CONNECTors gives volunteers the opportunity to enjoy insider experiences, a chance to give back to the community, and to take part in Winston-Salem’s mission to be the City of the Arts and Innovation. With a variety of committees and responsibilities, including office support, exhibition support, education support, greeting, and gardening; there is something for everyone who is interested in joining.

“We are very excited ab­out the SECCA volunteer program. We look forwarding to assisting the staff and helping enhance the SECCA experience for the public,” said Nancy Peterson.

The first SECCA CONNECTor meeting will be held Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, at 5:30pm in the living room of the historic Hanes House at SECCA, located at 750 Marguerite Drive, Winston-Salem, NC, 27106.

For more information about how you can become a SECCA CONNECTor please visit (www.secca.org/support/volunteer) or contact Connie Schroeder by e-mail at (connie.schroeder@secca.org).

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, N.C. seeks to enhance perspectives, inspire community and ignite new ideas at the intersection of art and its visitors. Located on Marguerite Drive, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday. SECCA is an affiliate of the North Carolina Museum of Art, a division of the NC Department of Cultural Resources. SECCA receives operational funding from The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Additional funding is provided by the James G. Hanes Memorial Fund.

The NC Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s cultural resources to build the social, cultural and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan Kluttz, NCDCR’s mission is to enrich lives and communities by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina that will spark creativity, stimulate learning, preserve the state’s history and promote the creative economy. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.

Through arts efforts led by the NC Arts Council, the NC Symphony and the NC Museum of Art, NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and spurring the economic stimulus engine for our state’s communities. NCDCR’s Divisions of Archives and Records, Historical Resources, State Historic Sites and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North Carolina’s rich cultural heritage to offer experiences of learning and reflection. NCDCR’s State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state to develop and to offer access to educational resources through traditional and online collections including genealogy and resources for the blind and physically handicapped.

NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the NC Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state’s creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues.

For more information, please call 919/807-7300 or visit (www.ncdcr.gov).

The Dog Days of summer are here and the Piedmont Craftsmen Dog Days Sale is right around the corner in Winston-Salem, NC!

Consider donating artwork and fine crafts to our Dog Days Art Sale to be held on Friday evening, Aug. 14, 2015. Last year, Piedmont Craftsmen inaugurated a unique fundraiser to benefit our education and gallery programs. The Dog Days Sale is for young collectors and savvy shoppers alike. The event features hand created items culled from local art collections made by Piedmont Craftsmen’s Exhibiting Members as well as other talented artists. One of a kind items, new, used, and high quality seconds will be sold well below retail during this one day event.

Anyone can donate. Items must be handmade, but not necessarily created by Piedmont Craftsmen’s artists. We will accept a variety of artwork for the sale including: functional ceramics, jewelry, clothing, paintings & prints, wooden items, textiles and mixed media art. Donations of handcrafted items will be accepted until Aug. 10, 2015.

Donating is easy.

1. Donations can be hand delivered to our gallery at 601 North Trade Street during our regular business hours or shipped to the same address.

2. Several of our volunteers have offered to pick up donations for the sale. Please give us a call at 336/725-1516 if you have any questions or if you would like to make arrangements for your items to be picked up.

Mark your calendar now for this amazing sale at the Liberty Street Art Center, 526 North Liberty Street, downtown Winston-Salem on Friday, Aug. 14, 2015, from 5-8:30pm. Customers will enjoy a shopping experience that includes wine & cheese for $6/person or $10 for you & a buddy.

The Downtown Art District Association in Winston-Salem, NC, is pleased to present the DADA August First Friday Gallery Hop on Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, from 7-10pm. Each month, the Gallery Hop features new artists receptions, live demonstrations and performers and collaborations with neighboring community organizations for variety and more fun.

DADA first Friday Gallery Hops are held each month in the Downtown Art District, along Trade, Liberty, from Fifth Street, Sixth Street and Seventh Streets where barricades are places for a safe and festive event. More of the Downtown Art District is found into toward Eighth Street, with the Downtown Art District becoming more diverse, creative and extending farther from the original footprint.

August brings the Annual Slice of Summer Tomato Tasting, an anticipated event sponsored by the Winston Salem Journal and local tomato farmers. Sample (for free) dozens of different varieties of tomatoes from local growers and then cast a VOTE for your favorite one! Additionally, there will be selected local restaurants on hand offering samples of their favorite tomato based recipes (while supplies last)

Exhibits for the August Hop feature artist gallery receptions throughout the Art District include:

Piedmont Craftsmen hosts a solo show in August by wood artist O’Neal Jones from Graham, NC. His woodwork ranges from functional furniture to sculptural wall pieces and mirrors. An Artisan’s Adventures in Woodworking through Demolition, Design, Dust and Delight will open on Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, from 7-10pm during the gallery hop and run through Aug. 29, 2015.

For more information on the Dada first Friday August Gallery Hop, sign up for the free arts e-letter, visit our website at (http://dadaws.org/), Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

DADA, the neighborhood organization of the Downtown Art District, presents first Friday Gallery Hops, supports the eclectic shops, galleries, businesses and residences throughout the Downtown Art District Association and cultivates a real-time community of artists living their dream to present art in a neighborhood community. For more information on DADA, volunteer and support opportunities please e-mail to (info@dadaws.org) or call 336/734-1864. DADA is a non-profit organization supporting the arts community from the Downtown Art District and beyond.

From the towering red “smokestacks” that intermittently release clouds of water vapor (lighted at night) to the “artist performance shelter” that’s sculpted from silvery steel bands, downtown Winston-Salem’s latest attraction, dubbed ARTivity on the Green, is an eye-opening and smile-inducing new breed of public space.

The half-acre park, which sits between the city’s vibrant Arts District and Wake Forest University’s sprawling Innovation Quarter, was created through a private grant and spearheaded by Art for Art’s Sake (AFAS), a local nonprofit dedicated to making the arts accessible for everyone.

ARTivity on the Green officially opened on May 9, 2015, accompanied by a large crowd, live music, food vendors and a dignitary-studded ribbon-cutting.

“We wanted to create a space that speaks to Winston-Salem’s reputation as ‘The City of Arts and Innovation,’” said Harry Knabb, chairman and chief executive of AFAS, “while at the same time paying tribute to its industrial, tobacco-and-textiles past.”

Hence, the faux smokestacks and the liberal use of metal throughout the park – including rectilinear steel benches that resemble sawhorses.

Other unique features include sodded berms designed for lounging or picnicking; a large wall that will host murals by local artists; and eight-inch-wide red lines painted on the surrounding sidewalks to lead visitors into the park.

Another impressive fact: the entire ARTivity Park project, which cost $2 million (and came in on budget), is a completely home-grown effort. Architectural firm STITCH Design Group created the conceptual blueprints; Stimmel Associates handled the civil engineering and landscaping; and Frank L. Blum Construction Co. oversaw the actual construction.

Visitors to Winston-Salem can find the park easily; it’s situated on Liberty Street, between Sixth and Seventh streets, in the heart of downtown.

How does contemporary art reflect the context of place and our relationship to it?

Jeff Whetstone, artist and Professor of Art, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will discuss his artworks in “Alternative Modernisms” and the narrative and performative dimensions of picturing regionalism and folk culture.

The talk will take place in the living room of the historic Hanes house at SECCA, located at 750 Marguerite Drive, Winston-Salem, NC, 27106.

“I am thrilled that Gordon Peterson has taken on this important role,” said Susan Kluttz, Secretary of the NC Department of Cultural Resources (DCR). “His enthusiasm for the arts and for the Winston-Salem community are an asset to his new position.”

A marketing consultant, Peterson also serves on the SECU Family House Board in Chapel Hill, the Advisory Board for Triad Stage and the Clemmons Friends of the Library Board. He served six years on the Piedmont Opera Board and formerly served on the boards of the Winston-Salem Symphony and the Reynolda House Docents and was president of the SECCA Foundation. He is currently a volunteer with Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

“Gordon Peterson brings imagination, experience and a lively energy to SECCA at a time when community engagement and growth are central priorities,” said Lawrence J. Wheeler, Director of the North Carolina Museum of Art. SECCA is an affiliate of the North Carolina Museum of Art.

A graduate of the University of NC School of Journalism, Peterson has spent the majority of his career in the advertising agency business, both in New York and North Carolina. His experience and extensive skill sets include arts management, both museum and board leadership; strategic planning; fundraising; finance; education and community relations.

“I am excited about this opportunity to work with the talented staff here at SECCA to help fulfill its mission of bringing art, technology and engagement to enhance perspectives, inspire our community and ignite new ideas,” said Peterson.

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, seeks to enhance perspectives, inspire community and ignite new ideas at the intersection of art and its visitors. Located at 750 Marguerite Drive, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday. For hours, please visit (www.secca.org). SECCA is an affiliate of the North Carolina Museum of Art, a division of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. SECCA receives operational funding from The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Additional funding is provided by the James G. Hanes Memorial Fund.

The NC Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan Kluttz, NCDCR’s mission is improve our state’s quality of life by creating opportunities that promote economic development, stimulate learning, preserve the state’s history and spark creativity to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.

Through arts efforts led by the NC Arts Council, the NC Symphony and the NC Museum of Art, NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and spurring the economic stimulus engine for our state’s communities. NCDCR’s Divisions of State Archives, Historical Resources, State Historic Sites and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North Carolina’s rich cultural heritage to offer experiences of learning and reflection. NCDCR’s State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state to develop and to offer access to educational resources through traditional and online collections including genealogy and resources for people who are blind and have physical disabilities.

NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the NC Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state’s creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues.

For more information, please call 919/807-7300 or visit (www.ncdcr.gov).

Three Winston-Salem, NC, arts and cultural organizations have joined forces this year under the banner, “Art for the Holidays,” to promote books, arts and crafts as unique, affordable holiday gifts. Bookmarks, Associated Artists, and Sawtooth School for Visual Art are collaborating on “Art for the Holidays” that begins Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 at 10am in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts with the launch of the 25th annual Deck the Halls arts and fine crafts sale – a tradition for many Winston-Salem holiday shoppers.

Beginning at 4pm and running until 8pm, on the same day, Bookmarks will offer books and book crafts by local vendors and artists. Persons attending Bookmarks “Holiday Bazaar” in Reynolds Place at the Rhodes Center may purchase signed first editions, handmade crafts including cards, handmade journals, and artwork, as well as books for persons from preschool age to grandparents. Vendors of handmade journals, pens, cards, bookshelves, bookends, artwork surrounding books and reading, etc. are still needed for this event. Additional information is available at (www.bookmarksnc.org).

At 5pm, Associated Artists will host the opening reception for its “100 – The More the Merrier” exhibition in the Womble Carlyle Gallery. This exhibit features original art works that are priced at no more than $100. The exhibition will run through Jan. 4, 2015.

Also featured at 5pm is a special holiday treat co-sponsored by Downtown Winston Salem Partnership and The Arts Council who are providing entertainment for holiday shoppers with the inclusion of TubaChristmas. This group of 15 local tuba enthusiasts, directed by Matt Ransom, will greet visitors to Art for the Holidays with holiday tunes between 5-6pm.

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County has assisted in coordinating the three separate events into a unique local shopping opportunity. “More and more, we are seeing arts organizations in Winston-Salem collaborate and with great success. We are, in fact, an arts community, and this is an exciting trend – one which we are encouraging and looking for ways to facilitate,” said Jim Sparrow, President and CEO of The Arts Council.

All events will be in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts and are free and open to the public. The Milton Rhodes Center is located at 251 N. Spruce Street in downtown Winston-Salem. Parking is available for a modest fee in The Arts Council parking lot directly across from the Milton Rhodes Center, on street, and in nearby parking decks.

Winston-Salem’s robust arts community accounts in large part for the recognition it continues to receive as a great place to live, work and play. The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County enriches the lives of area residents every day. It raises funds and advocates for the arts, sponsors events in conjunction with other arts organizations, promotes and funds arts education, creates cultural opportunities, develops social capital and aids economic development. The Arts Council has made a total of 76 grants totaling $1,845,000 for 2015. Organizational Support Grants, $1,615,000; Wells Fargo Arts-In-Education Grants, $100,000; Duke Energy Regional Artist Grants, $30,000; Innovative Project Grants, $100,000.

For additional information, please contact Katherine Bowman, The Arts Council by calling 336/747-1465 or e-mail to (kbowman@intothearts.org).

Editor’s Note: Pay close attention here – this is not the grant info for the State of NC or SC – this is money given to the arts by one city and one county in NC. It’s more than the SC Arts Commission hands out to the entire State of South Carolina. And, if you look at it closely you’ll see that several institutions are getting multiple grants. This is on top of other state and national funding.

The Arts Council of Winston Salem and Forsyth County in Winston-Salem, NC, has made a total of 73 grants totaling $1,875,000 for 2015.

“Donor dollars are precious,” said Jim Sparrow, President and CEO of The Arts Council, “and The Arts Council Board feels a deep, continuing obligation to be good stewards of them. We have worked over the years to make the grant process efficient and effective and that has redounded to the benefit of the broad arts and cultural community.”

The Arts Council spotlighted three representative awards at the grants announcement.

North Carolina Black Repertory Company will receive a $5,700 Wells Fargo Arts-in-Education Grant and a $2,500 Innovative Project Grant. As part of the Wells Fargo Arts-in-Education Grant, they will partner with Theatre Delta (Chapel Hill, NC) to provide interactive theatre programming to address Underage Drinking in three public high schools. Interactive theatre uses scripted and improvisational theatre along with audience participation in order to promote dialogue and social change. As part of the Innovative Project Grant, they will collaborate with nationally recognized playwright Samm Art Williams to work with their Teen Theatre Ensemble to learn the art and business of playwriting and create a one-act play.

Associated Artists of Winston-Salem will receive a $10,000 Innovative Project Grant for their Winston-Salem Storefronts public art program which will provide a place for temporary installation art in vacant storefront spaces in downtown. It will give artists the opportunity to create site specific work, educate business owners and the public about the benefit of public art, and bring art to the general public free of charge.

Camel City Jazz Orchestra will receive a $10,000 Innovative Project Grant to present “Neighborhood Suites,” comprised of original big band jazz music and brief narrative accounts based on historic neighborhoods in Winston-Salem. Concerts will be presented at free community events in Rupert Bell Park, Miller Park, Washington Park, Historic Bethabara Park, and Winston-Square Park.

Associated Artists of Winston-Salem: $4,000 – To provide artist-led workshops in public middle and high school art classes allowing teachers to enhance their current curriculum by introducing students to a specific art media

Authoring Action: $2,200 – To conduct creative writing and spoken word workshops for students and teachers at RJ Reynolds High School

Bookmarks: $3,000 – To support the Author in Schools program which will bring authors to 6th graders at Northwest Middle School to engage students in fiction, poetry, drama and nonfiction

Carolina Music Ways: $5,000 – To present Carolina Music Ways Old Timey Radio Show, a 45-minute musical program that introduces elementary school students to the Piedmont’s cross-cultural musical legacy featuring jazz, blues, bluegrass, gospel, Moravian, and old-time string bands

Downtown Arts District Association: $2,600 – To provide artist and entrepreneur workshops for public school students, in addition to visiting artist studios in the Arts District

Giannini Brass: $4,200 – To present Brass Under the Big Top which integrates musical performances with the magic of the circus to expose public elementary school students to classical music, and teach music concepts and history

Hispanic Arts Initiative: $2,775 – To conduct a 3 week residency at Carter G. Woodson School designed to showcase the shared heritage of the African American and Latino communities through music and dance

Jared Steward: $1,200 – To provide 24 clinics for middle school percussion students

Karl Kassner: $6,000 – To provide 120 clinics for middle school brass students

Leslie Hill: $5,000 – To conduct film production residency with 1 public high school theatre class

Mark McMasters: $2,200 – To present physical theatre workshops to public high school drama classes and 30-minute assembly performances for public elementary and middle school students

Piedmont Craftsmen: $7,000 – To present “Living Craft: Crafting Lives,” a three-tiered craft program for elementary through high school students that includes a Craft in Context, Artists in Residencies, and Fine Craft Lectures

Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art: $6,350- To support The Intersections Project (TIP), a collaborative program that brings together artists and classroom educators to develop arts-integrated lesson plans and artist residencies for classroom application

Take the Lead NC: $7,600- To support the Dancing Classrooms program which will enhance education, cultural awareness, academic success, self-esteem, character and confidence through the medium of ballroom dancing

University of North Carolina School of the Arts Foundation: $6,000 – To present the School of Dance’s Peter and the Wolf in elementary schools and to conduct the Pluck Project, contemporary dance workshops, for public high school students

William Scheidt: $6,000 – To bring hands-on African drumming and dancing workshops to elementary and middle school students

Winston-Salem Festival Ballet: $5,000 – To conduct contemporary dance workshops for high school dance students

Winston-Salem Symphony: $9,000 – To support “The Mary Starling In-School Music Education Program,” a program that engages all the public 4th and 5th grade students through intimate ensemble performances in public schools and a full orchestra concert

Associated Artists of Winston-Salem: $10,000 – To support the Winston-Salem Storefronts program which will create temporary public art installations in downtown

Bookmarks: $5,000 – To support a new summer reading program and video project and to collaborate with Twin City Stage’s youth production of “Play to Win: The Jackie Robison Story”

Camel City Jazz Orchestra: $10,000 – To create “Neighbor Suites,” a series of musical compositions inspired by Winston-Salem neighborhoods that will be presented to the community free of charge at local city parks

Forecast Music: $2,500 – To create and present “East meets West,” a concert infusing the historic and modern traditions of Asian and Western classical music

Shawn Peters: $1,800 – To support shared studio space and the creation of new works

The Estrangers: $1,500 – To record and release their 2nd album in spring 2015

Andrew Rodgers: $2,800 – To create a short documentary entitled, “Secret Space,” about the hidden stores of an old NASA and Department of Defense building which now houses the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

Enrique Rodriguez-Pastor: $2,700 – To record and archive over 75 of his musical compositions

Eric Schwartz: $2,000 – To create a multi-movement score for string quartet for a new contemporary dance work

The South Carolina Broadcasters: $1,500 – To make it possible for this Mt. Airy bluegrass group to showcase at the 2014 Northeastern Regional Folk Alliance in NY in November 2014

Ben Towle: $1,018 – To take digital painting and traditional figure drawing classes in preparation for working with a publisher on a graphic novel (long-form comic book)

The Arts Council announced three special initiatives totaling $20,000.

Grassroots Arts Grants: $10,000 – To provide community groups with small arts project grants that promote creativity and use art as a means to bring community together

Winston-Salem’s robust arts community accounts in large part for the recognition it continues to receive as a great place to live, work and play. The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, the first locally established arts council in the United States, enriches the lives of area residents every day. It raises funds and advocates for the arts, sponsors events in conjunction with other arts organizations, promotes and funds arts education, creates cultural opportunities, develops social capital and aids economic development.